Cursed Blood
by Crystal Dawn
Summary: Filia contracts a fatal disease and dies... And that's just the beginning of the story.
1. Chapter One

Cursed Blood: Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I hate stupid disclaimers, as some of you may already know. They're pointless! We all know I didn't make any of these characters up! ARGH! Well, just so you know, this is gonna be another ANGST piece. I think I'll retire from ANGST and go back to comedy. Ahhh, but I love my ANGST too much. *sigh* No such thing as a perfect world, huh?

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**Cursed Blood**

by Crystal Dawn Phoenix

Chapter 1: The Sky Is Crying

  
  


_"I have died a thousand tiny deaths... and every time I died... I thought of you." ~ "Dawn: Lucifer's Halo", Joseph Michael Linsner_

  
  


The sky threatened rain. Lina's hair picked up in the heavy wind, wisping about her face, and resembling nothing more than flame licking at her cheeks. She looked into the sky, noting the large grey clouds that looked like they couldn't be hanging very far off the ground. Even the scent in the air bespoke rain. She turned to the tall man with long blond hair walking beside her.

"Gourry, do you think it'll rain?", Lina asked, looking up into the air again. The blond swordsman smiled down at her.

"I just hope we don't get caught in a downpour," he remarked, "I don't think we have to worry, though. There's a town just up ahead." A smaller, black-haired girl ran up from behind Lina and Gourry, smiling. 

"Miss Lina," Amelia said, "We should hurry if we don't want to get stuck out in the rain! I'll bet there's a nice bed and breakfast inn in that town we could stay at in case it starts raining really hard!" Lina smiled at the younger girl.

"You're right, Amelia," she said, grabbing Gourry's hand, "We need to pick up the pace! Come on, slowpoke!" She took off at a trot, dragging Gourry behind her as he struggled to keep up. 

From the back of the group, three more travelers looked on. Zelgadis watched as Amelia ran after Lina and Gourry, trying to catch up. 

"Where do they get all that energy?", he asked, more to himself than anyone else. He himself picked up the pace a little to catch up with them.

"I suppose it comes from all the food they eat," the woman with the long blond hair and a tail remarked, looking out into the distance, "But we are very close to a large town over that way. If we hurry, we could be there by nightfall." Filia watched the other three running as well. She knew that it'd be an easy matter for her to transform into a dragon and fly to the town, but she despised people watching her change. Especially the one floating nonchalantly behind her. So she'd keep walking in her human form, no matter how long it took. She tried to maintain her composure as she heard a chuckle come from the purple-haired man behind her.

"Don't tell me you're afraid of the dark now, too, Filia," Xellos taunted, floating easily along behind the rest of the group, his black cloak hanging several inches off the ground. She spit out some rather distasteful words at him and kept walking.

* ~ * ~ * ~*

Dusk was falling right as they reached the town. Oddly enough, though, the first thing that Filia noticed was that there was no one in the streets. Off in the distance, perhaps on the other side of town, there was the distinct sound of a church bell knelling. It was a rather bleak scene, indeed. 

"There's not a soul around," Amelia commented quietly, "Not anyone at all." Lina was peering into a darkend window, where she saw only furniture in the room, but no people.

"There aren't even any children playing in the street," Lina remarked, "Or people sitting on porches, or in the restaurants we've passed, or in the town square. This town looks completely deserted." They kept walking, hoping perhaps to see a restaurant or inn with a lit window, signifying that someone would be inside.

"But there has to be someone in this town," Zelgadis thought out loud, "I can hear a church bell being rung somewhere in this town. Someone has to be ringing it." 

"Well, I don't want to go to a church," Lina remarked, "I want to go find something to eat and a place to stay before the rain starts!" Gourry nodded his head.

"I want to find something to eat, too," he agreed, "But if it starts raining, we may just have to go to that church instead." Lina was just about to lose hope.

"It looks like that place over there is open," Xellos pointed out, motioning toward what looked to be a bed and breakfast establishment with a light in their window. There also appeared to be a few people inside the place. Satisfied with it, Lina led Gourry and the rest of the group toward the inn. Lina rushed through the doors, immediately seating herself at a table and calling a waitress over. Filia walked through the doors, trying to make sure they slammed hard behind her in order to hopefully hit Xellos on the way in. No such luck. He managed to make it safely through the doors, just before the sky began its deluge on the poor desolate town. 

By the time everyone was seated, Lina had already ordered dinner and the waitress was on her way back to have the order filled. The only other people in the inn, it seemed, were the manager and the cook. Curious, the manager stuck his head out from around the front desk. After a few minutes of listening to their talk, he ventured out and pulled up a chair to their table.

"You're strangers in this town, aren't you?", he asked quietly, "It's not safe to be here, anymore." Everyone looked at him curiously.

"Why not?", Amelia asked, "It doesn't seem like there's anyone in this town at all." The manager nodded his head grimly. 

"What do you mean it's not safe?", Lina asked, "If it's bandits or monsters they're all hiding from, we can take care of that... for a fee, of course!" The manager shook his head.

"It's nothing like that at all," he said, "We could fight bandits or monsters. But something has claimed our town that we can't fight." The entire table looked at him curiously.

"What is it?", Zelgadis asked, "I'm sure if you told us, we'd have a way to fight it."

"Disease," the manager said, "Our town's been hit with an epidemic. In the past week, almost everyone in this town has been stricken with it. It spreads fast and kills quickly, often within a few hours of having contracted it. If I were you, I wouldn't stay here too long. My wife and I are leaving tomorrow and going into the next town to our East to stay with some of her relatives." Everyone fell silent and looked at the manager.

"How horrible," Filia said quietly, "Miss Lina, we should move on first thing in the morning. I'd rather not take my chances here." Lina nodded in agreement.

"But, don't you have a cure for it, or anything?", Lina asked, "A vaccine, a remedy, a spell, anything?" The manager shook his head sadly.

"We have nothing to fight it with," he said, "And even if we did, there would be no doctors left in town to give medicine to you. Well, except this one person I heard of who lives in the hills, but the Medical Guild expelled him a while ago. He claims to have a cure, but apparently it doesn't work."

"What are the symptoms of this disease?", Zelgadis asked quietly, "Are the victims in much pain before they die?" The manager looked grim at this question.

"From what I've seen and heard," he replied, "They seem to be in incredible pain. It starts out just like a normal cold, with a fever and coughing or sneezing. Bruises appear on their bodies for no discernable reason, and they begin to sweat blood. They'll sometimes vomit blood, but that's not as common. There's a lot of pain all over, and a few hours later, they're dead." Everyone looked at him quietly for a few more seconds.

"Miss Lina," Amelia asked quietly, "Isn't there something we can do to help these people?" She looked at Lina with pleading eyes. Lina shook her head.

"There's nothing we can do, Amelia," she replied, "We're not doctors. And even if we were... I think this town's beyond help."

"The only thing that we can really do is to move on before any of you," Xellos said, suddenly noticing the manager looking at him strangely, "I mean, any of us get sick." Before anyone else could respond, however, the waitress finally arrived with their food. Lina and Gourry gave enthusiastic shouts before digging in, but Amelia looked like she'd lost her appetite. Zelgadis took a sip from the cup of coffee the waitress had just brought him. 

The waitress set a bowl full of hot soup down in front of Filia. She looked almost like Amelia for several seconds before deciding to go ahead and try the soup. She took a hot spoonful in her mouth and deciding it was good, smiled up at the waitress. The waitress smiled back at her for a second before giving a delicate little sneeze.

"Oh, Gods bless you!", Filia said, looking up at the little woman, "Are you feeling well?" The waitress smiled and wiped her nose on a handkerchief.

"Oh, I'm fine," she responded, "It's been kinda cold out today, and I guess I have a runny nose from the weather." Filia smiled politely at her as she turned to go back into the kitchen. 

Xellos watched the waitress go, eating nothing and saying nothing. Then he watched as Filia turned back to her soup.

* ~ * ~ * ~ *

Filia couldn't get much sleep that night. The lightening and thunder wouldn't let up, and neither would the rain. And to make things worse, the roof of this inn was made of tin. She had a headache that wouldn't stop and felt hot the whole night through. She had been woken up more than once with the realization that she'd thrown her blankets in the floor. Eventually, she'd given up even sleeping underneath them and lay on top of them instead. Just when she thought she was going to be comfortable, she began to feel chill without the covers. And so went the whole night, full of fitful sleep without much comfort.

The next morning, Filia trudged downstairs, still rubbing her eyes. The headache hadn't resided and she still felt hot. She found the others, at the same table as the night before, talking quietly. She noticed, and thought it was incredibly odd that they didn't have any food or drink on the table. Curiously, Filia sat down. Lina looked at her, then began staring. "Wow," she said in awe, "Did you sleep badly, Filia?" Filia nodded, still trying to rub her eyes clean.

"Why aren't you having breakfast?", Filia asked, looking around. Gourry shrugged.

"We can't find anyone here," he said, "The waitress and the manager here are gone." 

"We went looking for them and even knocked on the manager's door," Amelia went on, "But no one answered and it was locked. We've not seen anyone all morning." There was an uneasy silence settling in the room until Filia sneezed. Lina sat upright and Zelgadis began to watch her closely.

"Are you sick, Filia?", Zelgadis asked quietly, in a deadly serious tone. 

"No, it's nothing," she said uncertainly, "I'm sure it's only a little sniffle caused by the rainstorm." 

"Dragons don't often get sick," Xellos spoke up from his little corner of the table, where he sat away from the others. He, too had suddenly taken up a serious tone, which struck Filia as being odd. This only made her more irritated, and she pushed her chair away from the table in frustration.

"We need to get moving," Filia said, heading up the stairs, back to her room, "I'm going to pack my things. Let's get out of this town as soon as possible." 

Amelia stood up from the table as well. "I'm going to see if I can't find the manager to settle our account," she said quietly. 

A few minutes later, a scream shook the whole inn. It had come from the direction Amelia had walked, toward the manager's quarters. The rest of the group was there in a heartbeat. The sight that awaited them was entirely grisly.

Amelia was in front of the manager's door, a look of utter horror on her face. The door was slightly ajar, so that the rest of them could see inside. The manager and his wife, the waitress from the night before, were both laying in the middle of the floor, soaked in their own blood. There didn't appear to be any stab wounds at all, yet there were expressions of extreme pain on their faces. It almost looked as though the blood were coming straight out of their pores.

Lina brought a hand to her mouth. "Oh Gods," she said quietly. The air was still for another second before she spoke up again. "We've got to get out of here, NOW," Lina said, deadly serious. No one questioned her. In a matter of minutes, their things were packed and the group was gathered in front of the door of the inn. 

"Do we have everything?", Zelgadis asked quietly, looking around. No one said anything. As a matter of fact, they'd mostly been silent since finding the bodies. 

"Let's get out of here as fast as we can," Lina said softly. They picked up their packs and headed toward the end of town. 

Filia still didn't feel any better. She'd thought that being out in the sunshine would help her a bit, but it was only hazy and grey outside, and that didn't seem to be helping her at all. As a matter of fact, it only seemed to be making things worse. She was becoming hotter by the second and the headache was getting worse. And worst of all, her pack seemed to be getting heavier on her back by the second. She thought she would fall over for a second before righting herself and following behind the others. She happened to notice that oddly enough, Xellos was following behind her. She sniffed at that, and tried to keep going. However, the pack got the better of her and she sank to her knees. 

"Guys," she called out weakly, "Everyone... please wait. Let's stop and rest." Everyone turned to look at her. Lina's face went white and Amelia's eyes welled up with tears. Filia really couldn't understand what was happening by that point, or why they were looking at her so oddly. All she knew was that she was unbearably hot and that her head was splitting. Frustrated, she reached up with the back of her gloved hand to wipe away some sweat that had gathered at her brow. She brought her hand in front of her face, only to find that her gloves, which were once white, were now stained red with a thin, watery film of blood. The realization didn't quite register with her like it did with everyone else. Her mind was almost lost in a haze of fever now.

"Oh God," Lina said, stepping back.

"What are we going to do?", Amelia asked, tears falling down her cheeks. 

Xellos stepped toward Filia, taking the pack off her back and placing it on the ground beside her. He stood her up, much to her dismay and weak protest, then regarded the others.

"The way I see it," Xellos said, "You have three options." Zelgadis and Lina looked him over with a suspicious eye.

"Which are?", Gourry asked softly. 

"Well, first of all," Xellos said calmly, "You could just leave her here. She won't last much longer, anyway." Lina shook her head firmly.

"I won't do that," she said quietly. Amelia nodded in agreement.

"What are our other options?", Zelgadis asked warily.

"You could go find that doctor that lives in the hills that the old man mentioned last night," Xellos continued.

"But we don't know where he's at exactly," Zelgadis reasoned, "And even if we find him, we don't know that his cure will work." Lina crossed her arms and looked down.

"What's our last option?", Lina asked. Xellos smiled slightly, perhaps imperceptibly to the others. 

"You can leave her with me," he said, "And I can make her a Mazoku so she can keep living."

The air seemed to stand still. Filia pulled herself from her stupor when he said those words.

"I'd rather die," she said, half-awake, "Than to be one of your kind." Xellos shot her a glare.

"You should be more grateful," he said quietly.

"We can't do that to Miss Filia," Amelia said softly.

"She'd go mad," Zelgadis commented. Lina nodded.

"So I guess there aren't any other options, are there?", she commented, "Then we're going to find that doctor. Come on, we should hurry before anymore of us get sick." Lina took off toward the hills at the edge of town, followed by Zelgadis, Amelia, and Gourry.

"I'll stay with Filia," Xellos said after them. He walked her back to the inn, almost entirely supporting her whole weight. She seemed to be getting weaker and more feverish by the second.

* ~ * ~ * ~ *

Filia woke up, the late afternoon sunlight pouring onto her face. She squinted, trying to filter out the blinding rays of light. She sat up, noting that she was laying in her bed at the inn in a slip. Her headache seemed to be dispersing now, to be replaced with aching throughout her entire body. She looked down onto the bed, noticing that it was stained red in some spots. 

"So you're finally awake again," a familiar voice said from beside her bed. Filia looked over to see Xellos, calmly sipping a cup of tea, in a chair beside her bed. 

"What's wrong with me?", Filia asked, groggily, "Why do I hurt all over?" She looked at her hand as she was brushing hair out of her face and saw it was covered in bruises.

"It appears that you've contracted the disease that this town's been infected with," he said, "The others will return shortly with what might be an antidote. You should just rest now." She lay back against her pillows, feeling like she'd been beaten with something. She started slightly at the pain, but only let out a startled gasp. "Oh, I'm sorry about the bruises," Xellos remarked, smiling sheepishly, "When I was helping you in, anytime I touched you in the slightest, you'd bruise." Filia shot him a half-cognizant glare.

"You probably meant to," she mumbled groggily. Xellos stood up and put his tea cup on a nearby table.

"It'll be nightfall soon," he said, "They should be back anytime soon." He walked to the corner that he'd placed his staff in and took it in his hand.

* ~ *~ * ~*

"So you're the doctor we've been hearing about," Lina said, "We hear you have a cure to the disease that's been going around." The old gray haired, bespectacled man looked over his bifocals at her. He picked up a vial from his desk, containing a green mixture that looked like it'd been made from leaves. "Oh, is that it?", Lina asked happily.

"No, this is not a cure," the doctor said, "There is no cure. I tried to tell those in the town that, but they wouldn't listen to me." A pall settled over the room as what he just said sank in. 

"So you're saying that there's no way to cure our friend, or keep us from dying as well?", Zelgadis asked softly. The doctor shook his head.

"Now, I didn't say that," the doctor answered, "I only said there's no way to cure it. I have a vaccine that will prevent you from contracting the disease. But once you have caught it, there's no way to help you." 

"So what you're saying is...", Gourry said, puzzling it out.

"There's no way to help Miss Filia now," Amelia finished for him, sadly. A dark shadow passed over Lina's face for a moment as a troublesome thought occurred to her. 

"Here, just give us the vaccine," Lina said, "We need to go now, before it's too late." The doctor complied with her, curiously.

"I'll give it to you free of charge," he said, "The disease is such a gruesome thing. If I can help anyone, I'm willing to do it. Good luck to you." Lina smiled and gave him a wave as she ran out the door, expecting the others to follow.

"Goodbye!", she yelled over her shoulder, "And thank you!" The other three ran out the door after her.

"Lina!", Zelgadis asked, catching up to her, "What was that all about? What are you in such a hurry for? You heard him, Filia's a lost cause. Hurrying won't change anything." Lina didn't slow down any.

"She's going to die, that's true," Lina said, looking over her shoulder, "The only thing is, if we don't get there soon, I've got a sneaking suspicion that Xellos intends to go ahead and make her a Mazoku." Lina uncorked the vial and drank a part of the green mixture. She stuck the cork back in the vial and wiped her mouth. "Bleh!", she said, sticking her tongue out and tossing the vial back to Zelgadis, "Here, Zel, you're next!"

* ~ * ~ * ~ *

Filia sat up in bed, propped up against pillows, watching the sun set. The last of its rays sunk behind some clouds, casting shadows and other tricks of light against the walls of her room. She barely noticed Xellos standing above her bed. The pain was getting worse, and she kept feeling like she could pass out at any moment. Her chest was constricting, and the sweating was getting worse. Her bed was already stained red from her blood, as was her slip. She put a hand to her forehead as a wave of dizziness overtook her. She looked up to see Xellos standing over her bed. 

"Here," he said softly, "Lay back." Xellos placed a hand on her chest, pushing her backwards against her pillows. Being in no condition to object, Filia did as she was told quietly. She winced at the pain that his touch caused, the simple pressure of which caused her skin to bruise and break in certain small spots. "That pain will be over in a moment," he said quietly, watching her watching him with huge blue doe eyes.

"What're you doing?", Filia choked out, looking up at him. He didn't say a word. Instead, he raised his staff above her chest and placed the tip firmly in the middle of her breast. Her little hands wrapped around it, trying to stop him. "Please, don't do it," she said quietly. In another second, he gave the staff a thrust, cracking her breastbone and sending it straight into her heart. Filia clutched the staff as blood spilled out of her mouth. 

Xellos bent down over her, black energy building around him. The blackness flowed through the staff and into Filia's chest. She could feel the cold pain coming into her body as he drew closer. He lay a hand on her cheek, looking at her closely and smiling mischievously. Blood tears flowed down Filia's cheeks, staining the pillow underneath her head. He bent down, then and kissed her deeply. His lips were so cold that Filia could have sworn they were burning as she felt more blackness flowing into her body. Her heart slowed, then stopped, and darkness overtook her.

* ~ * ~ * ~ *

Lina was the first one through the front door of the inn. She only stopped to light a candle, as the sun had gone down a few minutes ago and it was now dark. She ran up the stairs to Filia's room as fast as she could.

"Hey, Lina!", Gourry called from behind her, "Wait up!" Lina wasn't listening. She threw open the door to Filia's room, to find...

"Nothing," she said quietly. The others joined her as she surveyed the room. The only sign that they'd been here was the blood soaked bed. Lina guessed that was where Filia had been laying, but now...

"They're not here," Zelgadis said grimly.

"We're too late," Lina concurred.

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	2. Chapter Two

Cursed Blood: Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Yes, I don't own any of the characters I'm writing about here. Yay. But if you're reading this far, then it must mean you like my ANGST, huh? ^_^ 

**Feedback: **If you write me, the ANGST will keep coming! ^_~ Wait... maybe that's NOT such a good idea. O_o ~ [SailorN1@aol.com][1] or [FiriaulCopt81@aol.com][2]

  
  


Cursed Blood

by Crystal Dawn Phoenix

Chapter 2: Gold Dust Woman

  
  


_"Rock on, gold dust woman, take your silver spoon, and dig your grave." ~ Stevie Nicks, "Gold Dust Woman"_

  
  


Filia woke up feeling a small chill. Even though it was pitch black dark with nothing but moonlight to light the room, she could tell that she wasn't in the same place as when... when... She grabbed at her chest, making certain that it was still in one piece. It was. Had the whole thing been a nightmare? She looked at her arms, noting they were now free of bruises. She looked at her hands, thinking how odd it was that her nails had seemingly grown since she went to sleep. She lay there in silence for another moment, thinking how nice the cold felt after being so hot in her fever. The window beside the bed she lay in was open, bringing with it a breeze from the sea. She could smell the salt air and the watery smell of the shore. Off in the distance, she thought she could make out a wolf baying at the moon. 

Filia ran her hands over the blankets in the bed. They were made out of fine silk, and if the moonlight wasn't deceiving, as it was known to be sometimes, they were a rich black, or deep violet color. She sat up in the unfamiliar bed and looked out the window. Sure enough, she could see the sea from there, the waves gently lapping at the shore. Apparently she was in some sort of large castle, judging from the large drop from the window to the ground. She looked around the room, her eyes adjusting to the darkness. She could see the moonlight reflecting off the glass of a lamp on a nearby night stand. She leaned over and lit it, casting illumination across the room. The room was large, with a high vaulted ceiling and expensive looking furniture. She could see a vanity against a nearby wall with a black cloak flung over the stool that went with it. On the vanity, she could also see the lamp light shining off her bright gold and green earrings and tiara. She slipped from underneath the covers on the cool bed and padded along the cold stone floors barefoot until she reached the dresser. She put her earrings back on, along with her headpiece, and then surveyed her nightgown. It wasn't the same one she'd gone to sleep in. The other one was a light pink, and shorter. This one was floor-length and dark, blood red. She puzzled at this, and also at the talons she'd apparently grown in her sleep, which were also blood red. Her tail swished back and forth as she thought intently about it. 

From a nearby room, Filia thought she could hear voices, one belonging to a woman, and the other to a man. The woman didn't sound terribly happy, but she recognized the man's voice as belonging to Xellos. 'What's going on here?', Filia thought, looking around the shadowy room, 'Did Xellos bring me to his... home?' She padded softly to the large door of the room, then slowly cracked it open to better able hear their conversation. An angry female voice was echoing down the large hallway. Filia noticed a few wolves laying asleep under some of the torches that lit the passageway. The voices came floating to her past the large guard dogs.

"That was very irresponsible of you, Xellos," the woman's voice trailed down the corridor, "Not so much that you brought her here, but just the fact that you turned one like her." Filia was curious about that. What did she mean 'turn one like her'? The smell of cigarette smoke wafted down the hallway to her nose.

"But, my lord," she heard Xellos reply cordially, "Think of how much power she can... will use for us now." There was a moment of silence settling over the room.

"You have done something you cannot undo," the woman replied, "You do realize that she will never fit in anywhere ever again, don't you? Our kind will never fully accept her, and her own will not take her back. I am holding you accountable for this. If this ends badly, I will punish you severely." While Filia would under normal circumstances be thrilled that the Mazoku was going to get what was coming to him, she couldn't help but wonder what they were talking about. It was beginning to frighten her, actually.

"Yes, my lord," Xellos answered politely. Filia heard footsteps coming her way. She stepped back inside the bedroom and shut the door behind herself.

"Oh, and Xellos?", the woman remarked, bringing her wine glass up to her lips and making her bangle bracelets jingle ever-so-slightly, "It seems like your pretty new charge just woke up."

* ~ * ~ * ~ *

Filia looked around the dim room. There was no means of escape, except out the door or out the window. And even if she did manage to escape, she wasn't sure where she was, so she'd have trouble finding her way back to Lina and the others. She decided to stay, and if she were lucky, maybe Xellos would explain what happened to her since she fell asleep. She sat down on the soft, dark bed, hanging her legs over the side and waited. She began thinking that it was funny that the senses she'd trained as a priestess to detect Mazoku didn't seem to be working now. Normally, she'd have felt Xellos' dark presence right away. But now, he was less than another room away and she couldn't feel anything. Filia was snapped out of her reverie by a stir in the air as Xellos appeared in the room in a flash of black. Immediately, the torches on the walls lit up, illuminating the whole room. He smiled, if a little mockingly, and was met with Filia's glare. He sat down on the stool in front of the vanity and regarded her.

"I see you're finally awake, Filia," he said evenly, "You slept for quite a while. Getting over that little... bug you caught, I imagine." She continued to glare at him. 

"Where am I?", she asked quietly, "How did I get here?" Xellos' grin didn't waver.

"Why, I brought you here, of course," he said simply, "This is your home now." She gave him a puzzled look.

"My home?", she asked, anger melting into confusion, "What are you talking about?" He simply continued smiling.

"Haven't you been wondering how you healed from that fatal disease?", he asked, "Haven't you noticed anything different about yourself since you woke up?" She blinked at him in confusion for a second before looking back down at her newly taloned hands.

"Come to think of it," she said slowly and deliberately. Her anger had become confusion, and now, a hollow dread. Her eyes widened in horror.

"You... You didn't...", Filia muttered, struggling for the right words and hoping that what she was thinking wasn't true, "Did you?" She could feel her throat closing when he didn't respond. His hair hung over his eyes, bathing them in shadow, making his grin seem all that more malevolent.

"Didn't what, Filia?", Xellos asked her, raising his head and smiling happily at her, "Turn you into a filthy Mazoku like me?" Filia's eyes began to fill with tears. So it was her that he and the woman had been talking about. Tears began to slip down her cheeks.

"I... I... don't believe you!", she said finally, furious, "You're just trying to upset me! There's no way I could ever become one of your kind!" Xellos didn't quit smiling at her. Instead, he reached over his shoulder and pulled a silver hand mirror off the vanity, then handed it to her.

"If you don't believe me," he said calmly, "Then see for yourself." 

Filia brought the mirror into her view, hands trembling. The first thing she noticed were the red feral markings on her cheeks. They looked like some wild beast had slashed her in three places on each side of her face. The next thing she noticed was that her canine teeth had grown considerably. They were so large now that they almost protruded over her bottom lip. She brought a hand up to her face, to touch them and make sure they were real. It was then that she saw the most obvious change. Her eyes, which were once large and clear blue, had become drawn up at the edges making them sharp and slanted. The irises of her eyes had lost their round shape and had taken on a more angular, cat-like appearance. Her pupils were now slitted, as well, and instead of blue, her eyes were now violet. Her hands began shaking violently and she dropped the mirror into the floor, shattering it. She buried her face in her hands, sobbing heavily. "It's not true," she cried, "I'm not a Mazoku! I'm a dragon! A dragon!" Xellos reached over and took her hands away from her face.

"Stop it," he said firmly, looking her in the eye. Filia felt compelled to obey him, and she stopped sobbing. 

"Undo it," she said quietly, "Change me back to my old self. I don't care if I die, I can't live like this." He shook his head at her.

"I can't do that," he replied simply, "Even if I wanted to, I couldn't change you back into a dragon. You are now, and ever will be, a Mazoku." Filia felt her throat close up as the hopelessness of her situation began to settle in on her mind. She visually wilted as she felt all the promise she'd had for her life being snatched away from her. She began sobbing again, only this time, more violently, as she tried to pull her arms out of Xellos' grasp. 

"I said to stop it," he growled, tightening his grip on her wrists. Filia gasped in pain, and stopped squirming. As the pain shot through her wrists, she got the strangest feeling of pleasure from it, almost making her lightheaded. He loosened his grip on her wrists, allowing a sickening thought to come to her mind. She was actually drawing energy from her own pain. She looked down in disgust and shame.

"Why?", she said quietly, "Why did you do this to me? How much sick pleasure are you getting from watching me suffer like this?" Xellos smiled at her cheerfully.

"I have quite a few reasons for turning you," he said, smiling, "Mainly, though, I was jealous of you." Filia looked up at him, misery momentarily replaced by curiosity.

"Jealous?", she repeated as he let go of her wrists and backed away, "Of what?" He didn't stop smiling.

"Of your beauty," he said, cocking his head to one side and looking at her, "And your light, and innocence, and purity. It was something that was so entrancing, but I could never have for myself. I hated you for it. I wanted to take it from you, crush it in my hands, taint you somehow. And since I could never have that light in my soul, I destroyed yours. You were such a proud girl, always ready to strike out at me for living in darkness, and now... You're only a filthy, raw garbage Mazoku... Just like me." He continued smiling at Filia, the hurt evident in her eyes.

"That's all?", she asked, choking on her own words, "That's why you did this? Just to spite me? Just to hurt me?" Xellos shrugged and kept smiling infuriatingly at her.

"It's not my only reason," he said, "But it's the biggest one." Filia's eyes filled with tears again.

"Then what are the other reasons?", she begged, "Why else did you do this!?" Xellos simply kept smiling at her, bringing a finger to the side of his face and wagging it at her.

"Now, that," he said, "Is a secret." Filia sat there, motionless, tears running down her cheeks.

"You really are a horrible demon," she said quietly, in a trembling voice, "A terrible, evil devil." He stood, continuing to smile, and looked down at her.

"I think I'll leave you alone now," he said quietly, "Try to rest. You're still weak." He gently put a cold hand on her cheek, before vanishing. When he left, so did the flames in the torches on the walls. The only light that stayed lit in the room was the one Filia herself had lit on the night stand. She allowed herself to slump down into the soft, black bed, tears flowing down her face like water. She felt everything in her life slipping away, like sand through her fingers. She could never be a dragon again. She was doomed to an eternity as the thing she'd been taught to hate the most. A huge sob racked her tiny frame, causing her to shake violently before collapsing in tears onto the large bed.

* ~ * ~ * ~ *

Filia awoke well into the night that night, after having cried herself to sleep. She could still hear the wolves howling outside, and could still smell the salt air. She sat up in bed and forlornly looked out the window into the beautiful night. 'What should I do?', she thought to herself, 'I can't stay here with... him. Maybe he was lying to me, and didn't want to tell me how to change back. Maybe if I go back to my temple, they could find some way to reverse this... If anyone could, the High Elder could. And if not, then perhaps they'd take me in, at least until we find a way to reverse this.' She slid out of the bed, causing the sheets to rustle slightly as she did so. Her feet hit the cold stone floor and she padded over to the black cloak she'd seen draped across the vanity before. She inspected it. It didn't seem to be the one that Xellos wore, so she tried it on. It had a hood on it, which could cover her more... demonic features now, which Filia thought would be incredibly convenient. She clasped it in the front with a red jewel she found laying among the other odd, various things scattered on the vanity. She tugged the hood over her head and hoped that she would still be able to teleport to the temple. She huddled into the cloak and tried to teleport out onto the beach. She closed her eyes, struggling, and then finally vanished from the room in a flash of black.

Filia reappeared outside, on the shore, just inches away from the waters' edge. That teleport felt a little different than any other she'd tried before, sort of like slipping out of consciousness and back again. She looked across the sea, directing her thoughts back to the temple where she'd become a priestess. She closed her eyes and concentrated hard, struggling, until finally, she disappeared in another flash of black.

In a high window in the castle overlooking the sea, Xellos sat, looking out at the ocean and watching his new charge disappear into the night. 'That silly girl,' he thought to himself, 'I suppose the best way for her to learn anything is to see for herself. Ah, well.'

* ~ * ~ * ~ *

Filia reappeared in a hall of the great temple. There was no one else around, being such a large temple with so few staff, and late at night. Filia walked silently down the halls, not coming across any of her former colleagues. She quickly found her way to the High Elder's study, noticing a light underneath it, which would indicate that the elderly dragon was still awake. She thanked the Gods she'd been brought up to worship and knocked gently at the door.

"Enter," a firm, elderly voice commanded from the inside of the room. Filia did as the voice told her and opened the door slowly. She shut the door behind herself and looked up at the Elder. He was staring at her with critical eyes. "Filia," he said in disbelief, "What's wrong with you?" Filia huddled further into her dark cloak, trying to hide her face from a man she respected so much.

"I'm... I'm in trouble, sir," she said quietly, "I need your help. If anyone would know how to help me, it'd be you." The white-haired, old dragon man stood up behind his desk and walked around it to get a better look at Filia.

"You seem ill," he remarked, regarding her, "But there seems to be something worse wrong with you. There's a sickness in your spirit... A blackness, like a Mazoku." Filia turned pale and shuddered. He came closer to her, studying her trembling form. "No...", he said thoughtfully, "Not a sickness...." He reached up with one hand and tried to push her hooded cloak back.

"No, please," Filia said, turning away, "Don't look at me." The High Elder looked at her, growing impatient. "Please," she repeated, "I'm ashamed." The Elder began looking more and more critical of her every second.

"What crisis of faith has brought this darkness upon your soul?", the older dragon asked in a harsher tone, "This is what comes of traveling with Mazoku, Filia." She hung her head. 

"It's not my fault," Filia replied meekly, "I became deathly ill and he set upon me while I was helpless." The Elder looked down at her, glaring.

"Deathly ill?", he asked, looking at her in horror, "Filia.... child.... What happened to you?" He looked down at her hands, which were clutching her cloak tightly around her body. He noticed the newly grown red talons. "Of course," he said slowly, "Why didn't I see it sooner?" Glaring, he reached up and pushed back her hood.

"No, don't!", she gasped, talking a step back as the hood fell around her shoulders. The Elder stepped back, taking in a deep breath, eyes widening.

"Just as I thought," he said quietly. He took in the sight of Filia's face, her violet, cat-like eyes widening, the bright red slashes on her cheeks, the demonically long canine teeth. The elder was silent for a long while, looking sternly at her. Finally, after an uneasy silence, he spoke up. "So, Beast Master did this to you?", he said quietly.

"I didn't want him to!", she pleaded, looking for sympathy from the Elder, "I couldn't do anything against him! I was on my deathbed!" Tears were slipping down her face, not for the first time that night. The Elder's stern look didn't waver. "Won't... won't you help me?", she asked quietly, "You can undo this, can't you? You can make me a normal dragon again, can't you? Can't you!?" He closed his eyes slowly, making movements with his hands and muttering under his breath, as if to ward off an evil spirit.

"There are no spells or potions to return one who has been made a Mazoku to their proper state," the old man replied, reopening his eyes, "And even if there were, we would do nothing for you." Filia looked at him in shock.

"What are you saying?", she asked, feeling her heart break within her chest, "You won't help me? You won't at least try to find a way to make me normal again? Why!?" The Elder walked back over to his desk and took his seat, never taking his eyes off Filia as he did so. 

"To do so could anger Xellos, or even Zelas," he replied, "I could not, would not, endanger this temple like that. And there's also the fact that you're a Mazoku now, too, Filia. That simple fact makes you untrustworthy, and it could also cause unrest within our temple. Just by your being here, we could already be looking at strife among the other priests and priestesses, not to mention an attack by other Mazoku as well. You cannot stay here." Filia felt her hopes fading away, for the second time that night. 

"What should I do?", she asked miserably, "I can't go back to him! I can't stay there! Please!" She could tell from the look on the Elder's face that her pleas were going to fall on deaf ears. She covered her mouth with her hands, sobbing softly. "Okay, then," she finally managed to choke out, "I'll go." Saying that, she wrapped her cloak tighter around her body and left the room, not really knowing where she would go from there.

* ~ * ~ * ~ *

Eventually, Filia found her way to a nearby town, hoping against hope that she could meet someone with either a cure, or who was willing to take her in, at least for a little while. It was by then early morning, and she was feeling incredibly tired, even with the rest she'd received earlier. 'Maybe it's only because I've just become... Just become...', she thought, unable to finish. She hated to think of herself as a Mazoku, but it appeared to be true. She found an alley to hide away from prying human eyes as the sun got brighter and higher in the sky. She tucked herself away as far in shadow as she could manage before leaning against the wall of a shop and sitting on the cold ground. She hugged her knees close to her chest, trying to huddle down into her cloak. 'How could this happen?', she kept asking herself, 'How could he do this to me?' She wanted to cry, but it seemed as though her eyes were out of tears now. She held herself tighter, feeling her eyelids growing heavier by the second. 'My own people,' she thought sleepily, 'They won't take me in. They don't want me. I'm too dangerous. No one will take me in, if they won't.' She let herself slip further and further into unconsciousness, until at last, she was asleep.

'Filia,' she heard a voice calling in the back of her mind, 'Where did you go, Filia?' It was Xellos. She could feel him in her mind. It was as though he was right there with her, wrapping his arms around her from behind. She could feel him close to her now, right behind her it almost seemed. 'Why did you run away from me, Filia?', he asked, almost whispering into her ear, 'I can find you wherever you go, you know.' This sent a chill through Filia's soul, and she wasn't entirely sure that she didn't enjoy it. 'Did you really think you could keep a secret from me?', he asked quietly. Filia didn't say anything, but merely brought a hand up to grasp at the arms he'd wrapped around her shoulders. 'Why don't you come back and stay with me, little one?', he said, brushing his lips against her ear. Filia felt that chill again, and this time, she wanted to go back to him. She couldn't quite explain why, but she felt like she couldn't disobey him now.

'I... I...', she heard herself saying haltingly, 'I don't... I... But...' She could no longer protest. She could feel his grip on her tightening, almost to the point of strangling her.

'Don't fight me anymore, little one,' she could hear him say, 'Because now... heart, body, and soul... you are mine.' Filia felt another chill run through her as his cold blackness reached into her soul, filling it. She could feel herself becoming colder, as well, darkness spreading out within her.

Filia awoke with a start, gasping. It was now night, and the cold black sky was filled with stars. Filia realized that she felt cold, and wondered if it was from the night falling over the town or from her dream. She wrapped herself in the cloak, huddling further into it, and shivered. It was time for her to get a move on, hopefully finding someone to help her. She emerged from the alley, looking up and down the streets. There was no one out at this time of night, except the public servant who lit the street lights at night. Filia felt a little better about that. At least she could move about freely now, with no fear of being ogled by curious humans, or worse, persecuted by fearful ones. Maybe she could have better luck in the next town? Hoping that she would, and that no one would look to closely at her face, she made her way to the edge of town. At the edge of town stood an imposing forest. It looked to be full of dead trees, wild animals, and other scary things. Filia looked at it and strangely enough, didn't feel afraid. She began her journey into the silent wood, darkness obscuring almost everything in sight. She saw something fly from a dead tree in front of her and let out a hoot. Nothing but a hoot owl, and definitely nothing to be worried about.

But there were other things in the wood to be worried about. Some of them had inhuman eyes, and watched the seemingly innocent girl run along the trail. Others had human eyes full of greed and cruelty, waiting for the perfect moment to set upon their apparently helpless prey. They were sure that this girl would provide them some money, as she looked like a traveling priestess. And if not money, then they could at least have some 'fun' with her. Their eyes followed Filia, but so did another pair. These eyes had questionably better intentions for her, even if they didn't intend to show their self to her... Not just yet, anyway....

**Feedback: **You know I'm ready, willing, and able! ^_~ [SailorN1@aol.com][1] or [FiriaulCopt81@aol.com][2]

   [1]: mailto:SailorN1@aol.com
   [2]: mailto:FiriaulCopt81@aol.com



	3. Chapter Three

Cursed Blood: Chapter 3

Disclaimer: No, no one in this fic belongs to me. You satisfied now? Well, you should at least congratulate yourself for having waded this far through my ANGST. ^_~ This is the last chapter!

**Feedback: **The best darned ANGST in the universe? I love the way that sounds! ~ [SailorN1@aol.com][1] or [FiriaulCopt81@aol.com][2]

  
  


Cursed Blood

by Crystal Dawn Phoenix

Chapter 3: A Child of Light and Darkness

  
  


_"Show me Heaven, show me Hell," she asked, "Show me what lies beyond."_

_"All things for a price," he replied, "Stay with me."_

_"But I don't love you," she confessed._

_"Then I must touch you," he told her._

_"Alright," she said, the slightest hint of fear in her voice, "But first tell me your name..."_

_~ Joseph Michael Linsner, "Dawn: Lucifer's Halo"_

Filia could hear the baying of a wolf somewhere out in the dark forest. She'd stopped running and was now walking, trying to figure out which way to go next. After leaving the town, she'd become quickly lost in the pitch black nighttime forest. Every now and then, as she'd walk past a bush she'd hear a rustling, or see a pair of iridescent eyes shining in the darkness. This would make her speed up, but only for a few seconds, as she soon realized once again that she had no clue where she was going. She was truly beginning to regret having left Xellos' home. It suddenly dawned on her that since she had no real clue where he had taken her in the first place, that there was little chance she could find her way back, even if she wanted to. 

Filia sighed and found a tree stump to sit down on to rest her feet. She'd forgotten to find any shoes before leaving that house, so now her bare feet were cold and covered with scratches. She brought one up into her lap to examine it. It was dirty and was bleeding in places. As she was sitting, she couldn't help thinking about her situation. It almost brought her to tears, but she beat them back, determined not to cry anymore. 'No, I won't cry,' she thought to herself, 'I won't give Xellos that satisfaction anymore. I won't let him make me cry.' She leaned back, taking her foot off her lap and placing her hands behind her on the tree stump. She looked up at the clear night sky. There was a full moon tonight, casting lots of light about the forest, but also letting lots of shadows play along the forest floor. She sighed again, somewhat saddened by the fact that she now found the darkness of night more comfortable than daylight. The cool night air kissed her feet, taking some of the aches away from them, at least. After a few more minutes, she figured she'd rested enough, wrapped her cape around her, and got up to go. There was a large rusting in some bushes behind her, and it seemed obvious that something large was coming out of them. Filia turned around, trying to see exactly what it was that had emerged from the undergrowth. She could see a large, shining sword reflecting the moonlight, along with a few other swords gathering around her, and more coming out of the bushes every second. The man carrying the sword closest to her, probably the leader, started chuckling softly.

"Well, well," he said, walking around Filia, looking her up and down, "What have we got here? What a precious little girl." He took a piece of her hair and held it for a second, before letting it fall to its normal position against her back. Filia glared at him, watching him circle her like a shark. 

"Please, just let me go on my way," she said in a low and warning voice. It was as much for their safety as it was for her own, she knew. There was no telling what she'd do now, especially if they tried to attack her. The much bigger man looked down on her, smiling mockingly.

"And just what'll you do if we don't, sweetheart?", he said, coming to stand right in front of her again, "What a stupid girl. Alone at this time of night in the woods. You'll take whatever we decide is coming to you and like it. Besides, didn't your mother ever tell you not to go out into the woods alone? You know there's wolves out here." This brought a little laughter from the other men surrounding her.

"So you're brigands," she said quietly, more to herself than to them. The leader looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"You could say that," he said teasingly, "Or you could just consider us toll collectors. We like to think of these woods as belonging to us, y'see. So anyone who passes through here has to give us a small... donation, if they want to come out healthy. Understand?" Filia tried to back away from him.

"But I don't have any money," she said haltingly. The leader kept grinning at her, and she wasn't at all sure she liked the direction his eyes were wandering in.

"Oh, you don't have to give us money," he replied, reaching a hand out to feel the curve of her waist, "There are plenty of other things we could think of, right boys?" The other bandits gave him a raucous cheer, some even bothering to make lewd comments. Filia wrinkled her nose up at them, and smacked the leader's hand away.

"I said, just let me be on my way," she repeated angrily, "I don't want to have to hurt you." The bandits all made mockingly frightened noises, backing up in mock cowardice. One of the men laughed.

"Ohhh, did you guys hear that?", the bandit said teasingly, "Li'l Red Riding Hood's gonna hurt us! I'm so scared!" The other men laughed. The leader grabbed her arm and jerked her toward him roughly.

"Oh, I think I'll have to pay SPECIAL attention to this one!", he said, grinning as Filia squirmed in his grasp, "She's a lively one, that's for sure." The other brigands began closing in on her as well. She looked around at them, seeing lust and malice in their eyes. One of them reached for her cloak, ripping it off her and snapping the jeweled broach she'd fastened it with off.

Filia could feel something building up in her soul, then. It felt almost like a heartbeat, pushing blackness through her veins, and sending it coursing through her body. Anger rising up within her, she let out a shriek at her cloak being torn away. She could feel it again then, only much stronger this time. She could feel heat building behind her eyes, lighting them with an unreal light. She felt their hands on her body and felt the same blackness building up, even stronger than before, begging to be released onto those who would do her wrong. She knew she couldn't hold it back anymore. She pointed her free hand at the leader, who was still holding her arm. "Get away from me!", she screamed, releasing a crackling pure black bolt of energy into the brigand's chest, sending him flying back, bowling over some of his men, and finally slamming him into a thick oak tree a few yards away. The remaining bandits all looked at Filia in horror, backing away.

"You're... you're a... a witch!", one of them said, pointing in terror. Filia looked at him, dazed from using that much power.

"No, she's not!", another one said, backing up frantically, "She's a lot worse than a witch! She's a monster! A Mazoku!" The rest of the brigands backed up hurriedly at the sound of those words. A few of them gathered up their fallen comrades while the rest made for a quick retreat. Filia watched them go, still dazed and weak from the use of a newly acquired power. She started walking again, in the direction she'd been heading. 

After a few minutes of walking, Filia was too dizzy and lightheaded to go on. She found another tree stump and knelt down beside it, laying her head on top of her arms, which rested on the trunk. "So tired..." she said to herself, "Weak..." A few seconds later, she'd slipped into unconsciousness, oblivious to the danger of her surroundings, or what else might be lurking in them.

'You silly thing,' she heard a voice say in her head, 'You should never have left.' It was Xellos again. It was as though he was right there with her.

'I'm beginning to think so, too,' she replied sadly. She could feel his presence all around her again. Only now, it wasn't causing her any displeasure, or unhappiness. She was actually somewhat relieved to have him with her again, only if it was just a dream. The company made her grateful, even if it was him.

'Don't worry, Filia,' he said softly, 'I can feel your loneliness. I'll be with you shortly.' She felt an odd sense of joy at those words, but also a sense of dread.

'Where are you now?', she asked quietly. There was a soft laughter all around her.

'Closer than you might think,' he replied simply.

Filia woke to the sound of something or things coming her way. They sounded rather large, too, and made lots of noise in the bushes and surrounding forest. She looked around groggily, not wanting to have to face more brigands. She wasn't exactly sure she could fend them off this time if more happened upon her. Suddenly, a rather large, rather nasty looking Mazoku emerged from the forest and snarled at Filia. It was a grotesque beast, with three horns on its head and a tail full of spikes. It snarled at her, drool hanging from its open maw. A few other Mazoku came out of the forest after it. Filia scooted away from them, hoping to make a get away. The largest one bent down over her, making an escape next to impossible. It looked her in the eyes, grinning.

"Well, who would've thought a dragon would've been so stupid," it said, "As to come out into this forest, alone, at night." The other Mazoku made noises that resounded agreement with the larger one. The larger one continued to stare directly into Filia's eyes, grinning cruelly. "Don't you worry, little dragon," it said, "I'll see to it that you get good care taken of you. I'll personally make sure to wring every last bit of fear and pain out of you before we kill you. Oh, what fun we'll have, you and I. I can think of many ways to make you suffer..." The other Mazoku laughed mockingly at her as they began to close in. The largest one grabbed Filia and hauled her up in the air to his eye level. She struggled against his grip, but to no avail. It inspected her for a few moments before dropping her in horror.

"What?", another Mazoku asked, "I wanted to kill the little dragon tramp! What's the problem?" The largest one pointed a taloned finger at Filia, who was sitting on the ground, still in a relative state of shock.

"That's not a dragon!", the creature snarled angrily, "It's a Mazoku, just like one of us!" The other Mazoku inspected Filia, scrutinizing her.

"That's a Mazoku?", one of them asked, "Are you sure?" 

"It looks awfully powerless to be a Mazoku," another one said, "And so... so... frail!"

"I won't interfere with her," the largest one said, "She may be powerless, but she's got the essence of the Beast Priest, Xellos around her. She could be our deaths!" The other Mazoku came closer, scrutinizing Filia again, only closer this time, and found what the larger one said to be true. One by one, the Mazoku backed away. 

"I won't challenge him," one of them said. The rest made noises similar to agreement and the entire group vanished before Filia's very eyes.

* ~ * ~ * ~ * 

Filia traveled the rest of the night, after a short rest, until she had made it clear of the dark forest. On the other side she found a desert, a deep contrast from the vegetation she'd just made it through. There were large rocks and small rocks, and some rocks were even large enough to sit on. She found one to rest on. Being as it was the desert, and only very early in the morning, the sun not even haven fully risen yet, it was still quite cool. Filia shivered as she lay down on the large rock. Her cloak had been torn off during her fight with the brigands, so she had nothing to wrap around her body as she lay down. She sighed, trying to rest, and hoping she could soon find a secluded, shady spot to spend the day. She put her arms behind her head, crossing them to make a sort of pillow as she looked up at the softening morning sky. It was turning all sorts of beautiful colors, from soft blue to hot pink. 

Filia was interrupted by the sound of footsteps crunching in the sand. Her mind was snapped back from the lovely morning sky into who was coming to her now, hoping it wasn't someone else who had decided to kill her. She sat up, halfway afraid to look behind her, sure that it was something dangerous, and that she really didn't want to deal with. Slowly, she turned to face her visitor, fearing what she'd see.

Even though it was still dim outside, Filia could make out most of the man's features. He was wearing a dark jacket with white pants. There was a single horn atop his head, surrounded by an unruly shock of hair. His eyes were sharp and deadly, his way of walking suggested confidence, perhaps even arrogance.

"Valgaav," Filia said quietly, fighting the urge to flee. The green-haired man smirked at her, coming closer.

"Hello, again, Golden Dragon," he said, an amount of contempt in his voice. He looked closer at the creature in the red gown sitting on the large rock. "No...", he corrected himself, "Not a dragon. You're a Mazoku now, aren't you?" He looked as if he might laugh at her at any second, a cruel smirk turning his lips up. "Now you know how it feels, don't you?", he said mockingly, "To be an outcast. Not worthy to be accepted in any race." Filia felt the tears welling up in her eyes again.

"What do you want from me?", she said quietly, "Why did you come here?" Valgaav smugly place a hand on his hip. 

"I sensed someone out here," he said simply, "I figured I'd come see who was fool enough to travel this desert." Filia turned away. "So who was it, little dragon?", he asked, sitting down behind her on her rock, his back to her, "Did that goddamned Xellos turn you?" Filia was taken a little bit by surprise by the question.

"Yes, it was him," she said weakly. Valgaav snorted.

"I figured as much," he said, voice full of disgust, "And then your own damned race simply abandoned you to him, didn't they?" Filia hung her head sadly.

"Yes," she said quietly. Valgaav sneered.

"We're a lot alike, you and I," he said, "A lot alike." He slid off the rock, making a soft "thud" noise in the sand as he landed. Almost silently, he walked around until he was face to face with Filia. She looked at him forlornly, hands in her lap. "Why don't you join me?", he asked, smirking. Filia looked at him in shock. 

"What?", she said in disbelief. Valgaav kept smirking.

"Join me," he said again, "It'd be just the thing to piss off that damned idiot who turned you... Don't you think?" Filia looked at him, uncertainty playing in her eyes. She certainly wasn't happy she had been made into a Mazoku, but did she really want vengeance on Xellos for it? Valgaav extended a hand to her. "Well?", he asked, "Will you... or won't you?" Filia thought for a few more seconds before lifting a hand out of her lap and sending it toward Valgaav's.

A second before their hands met, a black bolt of energy streaked between their hands, sending them apart and sending Valgaav flying backward. Filia left the rock, getting to her feet. What she saw then almost shocked her. A good couple of yards away from her was a man in a long black cloak, holding a crooked staff, with one arm extended. Xellos, needless to say, did not look happy.

"That girl is under my care," he said, opening his eyes at Valgaav, who was just now getting back to his feet, "If you leave now, I'll overlook this little transgression... at least until the next time we meet." Valgaav sneered back at him, brushing some sand from his jacket.

"That's very noble of you, Xellos," he said with more than a little venom in his voice, "But why don't you just let Filia decide where she wants to go? Or are you afraid of losing her to some half-breed?" He smiled at the priest before him, mockingly and full of arrogance. Xellos smirked back at him.

"Alright, then," he replied, "Why don't we ask her?" He turned his attention to the trembling creature with the long blonde hair before them. "Filia?", he asked, the sound of her own name sending chills down her spine, "Will you come back home with me, or will you stay here?" Filia looked at Xellos, their identical eyes meeting, and got the same feeling as the night before. It was mesmerizing and compelling, a feeling that she couldn't disobey him, no matter whether she wanted to or not. She took a step toward Xellos, hearing him call out her name inside her head, over and over again, beckoning her to come to him. She took another step, and another, drawing closer to him.

"I'll... I'm going to... Go back with you," she said quietly and haltingly. She wasn't quite sure what had made her say that, but for some reason, at that moment it had just felt right. Xellos smirked triumphantly at Valgaav, who simply sneered in return.

"Foolish girl," Valgaav said, glaring, "From now on, you and I are enemies as well. And to think, I was willing to help you. Foolish child." He gave the priest and his creation a parting snarl before vanishing. Xellos turned his attention away from where Valgaav had just been standing and looked back at Filia. He closed the distance between them and looked down at her.

"Now, back to you," he said, smiling, "Why don't you explain to me why you ran away like that?" Filia felt like a little girl being scolded by her father. She looked down at the ground, not wanting to look him in the eye.

"I wanted to find a cure for this," she said, voice almost shaking in anger and hurt, "For what you've done to me." He simply kept smiling at her.

"I told you there's no reversing this, didn't I?", he said, "Did you think I had lied to you?" Filia looked back up at him, anger and tears welling up in her eyes.

"Of course I did!", she said angrily, "Why should you tell the truth!? You only did this out of spite, didn't you? Didn't you!? Damn you!" The tears began slipping down her face again, and she hated herself for crying in front of him again.

"That was one reason," he replied, the smile replaced by a sadder expression, "There were others as well." Filia glared up at him, her wet face shining in the early morning light.

"But they don't matter, do they?", she said, still full of hurt and anger, "You aren't going to tell me the other reasons! They're just more of your secrets!" She began crying harder, sobbing violently.

"I would've told you," he said sadly, "Eventually." Instead of abating Filia's sobbing, this only made it worse. She was near the point of hysterics, and knowing it only made her cry harder.

"Damn you!", she screamed in between sobs, "Stop playing games with me! If you hate me so much, then just kill me! Please!! Just kill me! Make it all stop!!" She'd begun pounding on his chest with her fists, and eventually, her crying overcame anything that she tried to say. Within a minute or two, she'd tired herself out and was only feebly sobbing into his chest and making limp motions with her fists, as though she didn't want to stop trying to hit him.

Filia felt something light and cold settle on her back. After a few seconds, she realized that Xellos was trying to smooth out her tangled hair. His hand gently untangled the knots that her long hair had made, comforting her in some capacity. She stopped crying after a few more minutes, then looked up at him, clutching his shirt. He smiled at her, almost as if he were amused by her.

"Would you believe," he asked quietly, "That I was lonely? Or that I didn't want you to die? Or would you think that I was lying about that, too?" There was a slight hint of distaste in his voice at the last statement, but Filia looked up at him, puzzled.

"What are you saying?", Filia asked quietly, still hoarse from sobbing. He looked down at her, smiling, if a little mockingly. He brought one hand up to her cheek and caressed it, wiping away some tears with his thumb. Filia started from the chill of his touch, but continued to look up at him, confused. All the while, Xellos continued smirking at her.

"Pretty fool," he said, more to himself than to her, "All I'm trying to tell you is this." Filia watched in shock as he bent down and covered her mouth with his own. Her eyes went wide for a moment before she finally fully realized what was happening. She could feel his cold lips pressed against hers and his cold breath on her face. She closed her eyes and started to kiss him back.

* ~ * ~ * ~ *

From then on, the days were easier. Filia had her own room, with her own bed, inside the large castle. The wolves that seemed to populate the island, she found, were in fact quite lucid, and would watch her as she softly walked down the castle halls. There was never anything for her to do, except to roam about the island as she pleased and entertain herself. She'd see Xellos often, but he was apt to abruptly vanish for a day, two, sometimes even three or four at a time. Once there was a whole week that she didn't see him at all. Then, even though she would never have wanted to admit it, she began to worry for him, and hope he'd return safely. She finally awoke one morning to see him sitting beside her bed, smiling.

Every once in a while, she'd see another woman roaming the halls of the great estate. The other woman had short blonde hair and a perfect tan. She wore high heels and jangly bangle bracelets and a short skirt. She would look at Filia with keen eyes and smile sharply, without saying a word. Then she would always turn a corner and disappear. Filia wondered about it for a while, and finally figured that it must have been that same woman she'd heard Xellos talking to the first night she had been here.

She woke one morning to find Xellos sitting beside her bed, smiling secretively. She brushed the hair out of her face and looked at him. He grabbed her hand and drug her out of the warm bed and over to the vanity, where he sat her down.

"What are you doing, Xellos?", she asked, half asleep. He took a brush off the vanity and began brushing her long hair, smiling to himself all the while.

"You have to get ready," he said, "I've got a surprise for you. We're going to do something very special today." Filia sat on the stool and thought about this. A thought occurred to her as to what the surprise might be, and she began to blush a bright red. Did Mazoku even do that sort of thing? However, she was interrupted before her thoughts could stray any further. "We're going to go somewhere special," Xellos went on, as though to himself. Filia tried to look up at him as he fixed her hair.

"Where are we going?", she asked, enjoying the attention. He smirked at her from over her shoulder.

"Now, that, my little dragon," he said, winking, "Is a secret." He finished brushing out her hair and disappeared from behind her, reappearing directly in front of her closet and throwing the doors open. He stuck his arms and head in the closet and began rummaging around. Every so often, he'd throw something out, mumbling about it. Eventually, he came out with a long, red dress and a white cloak. He handed them to Filia, putting them in her lap. "Here, put these on," he said firmly, "Since you've not learned to change your clothes the way other Mazoku do, you'll have to wear these human clothes. Now hurry up, we've got to go." With that, he left the room in a stir of black energy, leaving Filia to put on the clothes he'd picked out for her.

* ~ * ~ * ~ *

It had been almost two months to the day since the last time Lina had seen Filia alive, or Xellos either, for that matter. Her and her companions had mourned for Filia for a good week before the shock and pain had worn off and been replaced by numbness. It was still hard to believe that someone they'd traveled with could have died, or worse. They'd just been with her the night before, aggravating her over her collection of teapots or some other trivial thing, and then the next day, she was gone. Lina knew that some of the stuff they did was dangerous, but it'd never seemed so real to her before.

She looked across the table at her traveling companions. Gourry was shoveling food into his face faster than the human eye could see. Amelia was eating heartily. 'Poor kid,' Lina thought, looking at her, 'It was toughest on her. She wouldn't eat for nearly a whole week.' Zelgadis was merely drinking coffee from behind a bowl of half-eaten soup. Lina knew it'd been hard on Zel, too, even if he'd tried not to let anyone see it. He was determined to keep going, not letting a weakness show, and to be the strong one, so that the others could afford a time to be weak. Lina admired him for that, even if she couldn't tell him for fear of embarrassing him. She decided to let the depressing thoughts slide for at least a little while so she'd have time to eat. Deciding that, she dug right in, not missing a beat.

Lina was so busy eating that she didn't notice the two strangers that came into the tavern. They were seated at a table in a darkened corner of the room. They were given menus and left to study over them.

"Why did you bring me here, of all places?", the female asked, looking at the menu, "I know I no longer need to eat human food." The male took her hand, kissing it, and placing it back onto the table.

"Because I have something very special to show you here," he said, getting up, "Come follow me."

Lina took a big drink out of the huge mug that had been sat in front of her at the start of the meal. She sighed with contentment and leaned back, ready to let the meal digest. That had really hit the spot. As soon as she placed the mug back onto the table, she noticed the sound of footsteps coming over to their table, as did Zelgadis. They both looked up to see who had come to their table while Amelia and Gourry continued to eat.

"Oh... my...", Lina said, looking the newcomer up and down. Zelgadis glared at him.

"What do you want, Xellos?", he asked angrily. He was answered with a smile.

"Well, it's been awhile since I've seen you all," Xellos replied, smiling, "I just figured I'd drop in to say hi." Lina crossed her arms and surveyed him harshly.

"Sure you did," she said sarcastically, "But what are you really here for?" His smile didn't waver.

"Actually, I wanted you all to meet someone," he said, "She's come a long way to see all of you." Before they could protest, Xellos stepped out of the way to reveal that Filia had been in the shadows behind him all along.

"Hello, again, Miss Lina," Filia said, smiling sadly at her, "It's been a while, hasn't it?" Lina smiled back at her, knowingly.

"Too long, if ya ask me," Lina responded.

**Feedback:** Keep it comin'! I'm always up for more! ~ [SailorN1@aol.com][1] or [FiriaulCopt81@aol.com][2]

   [1]: mailto:SailorN1@aol.com
   [2]: mailto:FiriaulCopt81@aol.com



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